As is common on holiday, I have been reading a book - a very good book called 'The Faith of Leap', embracing a theology of risk, adventure and courage, by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch. I have less than two chapters left to read, but it has been quite an experience as the ethos of what the authors ties in so perfectly with my own convictions over the last seven years.
It all started back in 2010 with a call to step out of the comfort zone, what followed was a series of events that meant I did just that - and since that point, I have grown so much. In 2012, as I progressed from a local preacher on note to a local preacher on trial, a second experience told me that God wanted me to be a 'catalyst for the kingdom'. As a scientist - a catalyst is something that allows a chemical reaction to happen much more quickly, but it doesn't get used up in the process.
All through my training as a local preacher I have remained convinced that it was a stepping stone, not an end point. Since those earlier experiences, I have searched diligently for the way forward. My project that I did for my Unit 18 of Faith and Worship (after accreditation) was on 'Building Blocks for Mission' and the reading I did for that made me realise that I had to be more open to change, more open to new ways of being church, new ways of reaching out.
2018 is Goffs Oak Methodist Church's 150th anniversary - as a church family, we have a whole series of special events planned that will allow fresh community engagement and all of my revelations will no doubt influence the approach to those opportunities. Embracing risk, adventure and requiring a good amount of courage.
The biggest revelation is that it isn't about what I do, it's about what church - the Body of Christ does as a community that is important. Even if that means risking failure, risking ridicule, risking sticking out like a sore thumb. Mission isn't about what I do as an individual, it's about an entire body of people working together for the glory and the growth of the Kingdom.
All I can do whilst all of this sinks in is pray - pray that God won't just show me the way as a church leader and local preacher, but that God will show those around me what is required and enable us to embrace this new way forward.
Showing posts with label mission. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mission. Show all posts
Tuesday, 5 September 2017
Sunday, 12 January 2014
A Catalyst for the Kingdom
A Catalyst for God’s Kingdom
By Joanne Mead
God speaks to each of us in different ways – and as a local preacher on trial who was just about to go solo, I was surprised when that still small voice made me realise that God wants me to be a catalyst. As a scientist, I am well aware of what a catalyst does – it reduces the energy required for a chemical reaction to take place, but it never becomes used up or exhausted in the process. For some time now, I have felt called to the task of evangelism – so did that make me a catalytic converter? It was certainly a funny thought and some people laughed at the concept, but I’m sure God was completely serious.
As someone who is enthusiastic, and often stubborn and determined, it’s very easy to overdo things and end up over-tired and burned out. Was this God saying that he wanted me to take things steady? Well, that’s one interpretation and it certainly has a measure of relevance, but the catalyst idea has another connotation – that of making things happen, but without becoming exhausted myself. It’s not so much a reminder to be sensible, but a call to be an enabler, an encourager and a driver for progress. It can be the difference between success and failure, and for the churches with whom I have a connection, it has the potential to be a very positive ministry.
Two years on, I’m almost finished my studies to become an accredited local preacher and the sense of joy and the feeling of at-oneness when I lead worship has been overwhelming at times. The other thing you become aware of as a preacher leading worship is the way in which the Spirit guides us and directs us, so that our message has relevance to people in the congregation. In that context, I am beginning to realise what God meant by being a catalyst, for it is he who provides the resources and the Holy Spirit who touches the hearts of the people and empowers them.
When Jesus told the disciples about the Holy Spirit, the Advocate who would come after him (John 14), he promised that their minds would be opened and they would at last understand all that he had said to them. They would be able to do what was previously impossible and they would take the news of God’s love to all nations. We too share in the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit works within us and through us. Its influence is just as powerful as it was back then, if we allow it to be so.
I pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will indeed use me as a catalyst – an encourager and an enabler, to grow his Kingdom and that like Peter, I will have the confidence to preach boldly and with clarity.
By Joanne Mead
God speaks to each of us in different ways – and as a local preacher on trial who was just about to go solo, I was surprised when that still small voice made me realise that God wants me to be a catalyst. As a scientist, I am well aware of what a catalyst does – it reduces the energy required for a chemical reaction to take place, but it never becomes used up or exhausted in the process. For some time now, I have felt called to the task of evangelism – so did that make me a catalytic converter? It was certainly a funny thought and some people laughed at the concept, but I’m sure God was completely serious.
As someone who is enthusiastic, and often stubborn and determined, it’s very easy to overdo things and end up over-tired and burned out. Was this God saying that he wanted me to take things steady? Well, that’s one interpretation and it certainly has a measure of relevance, but the catalyst idea has another connotation – that of making things happen, but without becoming exhausted myself. It’s not so much a reminder to be sensible, but a call to be an enabler, an encourager and a driver for progress. It can be the difference between success and failure, and for the churches with whom I have a connection, it has the potential to be a very positive ministry.
Two years on, I’m almost finished my studies to become an accredited local preacher and the sense of joy and the feeling of at-oneness when I lead worship has been overwhelming at times. The other thing you become aware of as a preacher leading worship is the way in which the Spirit guides us and directs us, so that our message has relevance to people in the congregation. In that context, I am beginning to realise what God meant by being a catalyst, for it is he who provides the resources and the Holy Spirit who touches the hearts of the people and empowers them.
When Jesus told the disciples about the Holy Spirit, the Advocate who would come after him (John 14), he promised that their minds would be opened and they would at last understand all that he had said to them. They would be able to do what was previously impossible and they would take the news of God’s love to all nations. We too share in the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit works within us and through us. Its influence is just as powerful as it was back then, if we allow it to be so.
I pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God will indeed use me as a catalyst – an encourager and an enabler, to grow his Kingdom and that like Peter, I will have the confidence to preach boldly and with clarity.
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